Skyping

One has to love the amazing technology we now are surrounded by. When I think back it's unbelievable to me that I didn't have an email address until my first year of college (1995) and our family didn't even own a computer with internet until Manda started taking college courses her junior year of high school (1999). I didn't grow up with a cell phone, had no knowledge of what texting would be, and our family camcorder could have had it's own zip code it was so big. My students always think it's amazing that I actually grew up with no cell phone, only one household tv (that got three channels) and that my main source of music was mixed cassette tapes (WHAT'S THAT?!), which eventually evolved into "compact discs" --- no ipods. I love sharing with them our way of contacting our parents at school without using a cell phone. We would use the pay phone in the lobby to call home and let it ring, hang up and then call again. That was our code to come pick us up and our way to save a quarter on an actual call. (How crazy is that?!)
To say technology has changed since I was in high school is putting it mildly.
I still have a lot to learn and I am a novice when it comes to anything technological, but I love all of the options that exist out there. It was a few years ago that I first heard about the free service of Skype. Basically you could call anybody anywhere who also has Skype and have a video conversation with them on your computer. (This is definitely something that would have been way too futuristic when I was in junior high! It would have sounded like some part of a sci-fi movie plot.)
Whenever Manda is at my parent's house we have now started Skyping each other. Anthony's first reaction was priceless. He was amazed to see auntie and grandma in his computer and to hear/see Chester barking in the background. Yesterday we Skyped again and it was so awesome to be able to see how big Asher is getting and to have my family see and talk with Cynthia too. Now I just need to be able to teach my parents how to do this on their own so Anthony can have computer conversations with grandma and papa. :)